Mid life Crisis saddle

Here is the saddle. I think it’s pretty. It’s a Bighorn Pioneer.

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Oh, look at all that tooling! Very nice! When I worked at a dude ranch a saddle like this with a good pommel and low cantle was very desirable because it could fit a wide variety of people (and chubby ones) but that’s not the intended use! Someone will chime in, to me this is an all around saddle, stout enough tree to dally occasionally, enough swells to help with security, and that roomy seat will stay out of your way and not lock you into a pocket. Maybe a reiner vibe with the lower horn and cantle but that’s not my wheelhouse. Fancy enough tooling that with some fancy conchos it could have been a show saddle too. If you want to tie a jacket or anything on the back you might want to put longer strings on it but see how it goes.

You could turn those stirrups as if you were using them, adjust that little keeper above the stirrup to help hold the position and put a broomstick through both stirrups to hold them while it’s on the rack and it will help them stay in that position. Easier to find the stirrup when you get up and easier on the knees to not fight the stirrup trying to go flat as they are here. In my world, I’d mist the fender with water before doing that but see what you think.

I like this saddle, looks stout, good rigging for what you plan to do and it’s pretty to boot.

https://www.horsesaddleshop.com/turning-stirrups-western-saddles.html#:~:text=Place%20your%20saddle%20on%20a,them%20to%20be%20while%20riding.

ETA that front latigo looks a little dry and light; I’m sure you’re planning to oil it but when you do make sure it’s still strong. I’d probably replace it if it was on my saddle but that’s just going off this picture. I’d definitely use a rear cinch with this saddle too.

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It’s beautiful! I think based on how it is rigged I would use a rear cinch, but be sure your horse is ready for that or things might get a little western!

I ride 13.2-14 hand Arabians, and my cinch is 28”.

Generally, if a saddle is rigged for a back cinch, then it should be used with one. This helps maintain the saddle’s balance and is especially important when riding in rugged terrain, roping, working cattle, etc. For ponying youngsters, I’d certainly want to use one. Be sure it is snug (not tight, but not loose enough to fit a fist between the horse and the cinch) and that you use a hobble strap to connect the rear cinch to the front one.

Big Horn is an entry-level western saddle brand. My sister had one for several years. For your purposes, it will likely work just fine. It does look like it needs oiling and stirrup turning. With all that tooling, you’ll probably want to keep it covered or in the house. Cleaning all that is a royal pain!

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Yes to the hobble strap, keeps the rear cinch from trying to be a bit of a bucking strap out of its lane. Good reminder there, set it so cinches are parallel or slightly the rear closer to the front, IME.

For the cinches, DH and I were just trying to remember. We like a longer cinch and tend to use wool felt that keep the hardware off the horse. I know we’ve bought a 36" before but for big horses; we probably have 32"'s on our saddles now, or 34". They add some bulk so we put as much cinch on the horse as we can without ending up with a knot under the leg. Our horses are all pretty big barreled though.

That’s pretty!Love the tooling.

I can appreciate a midlife crisis saddle, because I recently got one, too.

I sprang for a new show saddle with ornate tooling, a Buffalo leather seat and minimal silver. It’ll out live me by decades. :rofl:

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It’s a beautiful mid life crisis saddle.

Keep in mind that going into a mid-life crisis is expensive, more so going out of one.

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